Thank you Dave although the model you forwarded to me is not unlike the tug I intend to tow the lighter behind.I have a particular interest in these craft as one of my relatives in days long gone by was a Thames Lighterman and I have copies of his apprenticeship papers. I would just like to build something appropriate to go with the tug.

Thank you for the ideas.I was considering a scratch build, always been frightened of the concept but realise when building a kit a lot of the work that goes into it is the equivalent of scratch build. There are always bits we don't like and modify.I want to pull this behind an early Caldercraft 'Riverman' although both will realistically spend most of their time in the work room being admired, by me.The 'Mountfleet' kit seemed good value at around £150, especially when you consider how much we spend on bits and pieces, I saw scale figures today priced at £12. Again many thanks I will Google Marine Modelling.

Have You looked at mobile marine models there have a few good 1:32 scale hulls, kits ring Brian he,s a very friendly chap or if you go up and see them there just north of Lincoln you,ll be made most welcome, Regards Howard.

I have bought stuff from MMM and am impressed with their bits especially some of the winches which are beautiful but was hoping for a hull with more detail, I think theirs tend to be slab sided.I hope to pull this behind an old Caldercraft 'Riverman' that is very pretty so want the tug to be in keeping.

I will continue to investigate even though retired have quite a lot on the go so no hurry.

A thames lighter is really simple to make, it is all slab sided, no shaped bows or stern runs to make. The deck fittings are simple, 5 x bollards one on each corner, a shallow combing hatch each end, short funnel aft a bollard right aft, a large ring with a length of 7" grass rope spliced to it about 25ft in length right forward and a small simple barrel windlass between two bits forward.

Although the Mountfleet lighter does not look like the Thames lighter which were just basic floating tanks and there were many thousands of them, I think it is an attractive model. If Riverman and the lighter are ever seen together I will have a lot of explaining to do.

To say a Thames lighter is just a box makes me want to scream! Joking aside the new ones that I work on are rather boxy but the more traditional ones do have some very refined shapes. If you could bare the pain of reading a diatribe of details I will happily write up a treatise on it. However I have made a mould with plate and rivet detail for a shapely 180tonner and can easily do a GRP hull if you were interested?The LOA is about 34 in X 7 in beam and I built it to 1/32nd scale. I have made a few hulls from it and lads a work that have had model tugs off me I have given them so they may want to finish and fit them out.i also have some drawings that i got out of the skip in the barge yard a while back after the truly destructive action that companies have of "its old get rid of it" view these days.so if there is any interest i am happy to put some words and music together on the subject.

No need for any apologies I have cursed them many times and referred to them worse than just a tank… But its sounded much the same! I will put some words and music together and do a posting. Hope no one will grass me up if I illustrate the waffle with culled pictures from the net? the first picture is of a barge/lighter that we refer to as a "punt" these were small barges built to be rowed or driven by a lone lighterman under oars. these ranged in carrying capacity from 50- 100 tons and union agreements depending on the size gave the manning level. there is in our trade a slang for bits as in most trades and i will try and explain these as i use them, or if there is a strange word ie Huff and i dont explain it then please ask.Huff= opposite to Huddis... there thats simple huh?

Hello Lighterman, yep that is just like the lighters I remember. Built like the proferable brick ---- houses. Watch one get blown across the Tilbury Docks new extension, it hit a ships mooring bollard on the jetty, the lighter just moved down the wall with out a scratch, the bollard sheered off level with the ground and rolled about 50ft into the container park all 1 ton of it. Nice model lighter with nice deck detail.

You are quite right dodes compared with sailing barges they where very boxy, there were a few Long-un's (craft built to go up the canal a lee) that were the shape close to sailing barges. I have towed a few ex grey funnel line barges and they had some very odd shapes some sort of cross with a stem and curved swims. talk to any old-time merchant navy men and barges were just "them bleeding paint removers" i have started the great writing of a lighterman's view of lighters and how to model them. The odd thing is how much "crap" i carry about in my nut and getting it out on paper/screen is harder than the actual doing.